Drying and/or coating apparatus



Nov. 29, 1938. E; E, EKERT Er A 2,138,297

mums AND/OR comma APPARATUS Filed Feb. 17, 1938 'ZSfieets-Sheet 1 Nov.

EQE. EKERT El AL DRYING AND/OR COATING APPARATUS Fil'ed Feb. 17, 19.38 2 sh wl-sham 2 Patented Nov. 29

PAT-E r OFFICE name aNn/oaoos'rnm APPARATUS Edward E. Ekert, Rego Park, and Gerald 8.. Richards Manhasset,- N. Y., assignors to American bhicle Company, Long a corporation of New Jersey mans city; N. Yu

Application February 17, 1938, Serial No. 190,964

8 Claims.

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for tumbling-drying and particularly in the presence of a coating material, such as a syrup, and for causing controlled air 6 streams to be drawn through the tumbling body for withdrawing moisture and for conserving volatile constituents of the coating material and also solids, such as sugar dust when a sugar syrup is employed as the coating material.

The invention embodies the following princip i v (a) The use of a tumbling drum ofscreen material through which air is drawn to the material being dried, the air then to a collector;- (b) The use of a screen drum supported by vanes in such manner that the vanes control or bound individual streams of air:

(c) The support of an inner screen drum by vanes projected outwardly and carried by outermost rings between which the exhaust trough operates;

(d) Driving the device by a shaft at one end i and supporting ,the device by rollers applied to 2 device.

The invention will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-'-

- Figure '1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, illustrating an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof. j"

Figure 3 is a reduced schematic end view, from the pofltion of Figure 1, and partly broken away, showing the useof an electric heating. element to through the device.

- Figures 4 and 5 are mrspective views of certain plates which maybe carried by the sides' of thedrum and readily detached therefrom for removing deposits ofdry coating ingredients such as sugar.

Flgure'S is a' sectional side elevation of the device taken on the line H, Figure '7.-

Figure 7 is'a' transverse sectional elevation taken on the line '|-'I, Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmental sectional view on the line 8-4. Figure 6, showing one of the connections between a drum' side and the removable plates.

Figure 9 is a similar sectional view on the line 9-9, Figure 6. 1

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the device comprises a supporting frame A having opposed horizontal side members I on each of which is secured a 'set of two brackets flanged rings carried upon the periphery ofthe J to be rotated by a belt it from a suitable source of power.

augment'the drying effect of the air drawn Each bracket 2 carries a shaft 3 which rotatably supports a roller I. Thetwo sets of rollers l rotatably support the drying drum.

The drum comprises side plates '5, Baa-each plate carrying at its periphery a frusto-conical 5 element 0, the two frusto-conical elements being spaced at their outer ends as shown more particularly in Figures 2 and 7. The frustoconical elements 6 hold between them a plurality of wedge-shaped vanes inspaced relation, these 1Q moisture or volatile constituents' a're to be withthe drum. The drivlngmeans illustrated in Figure 2 comprises a pulley if 'on shaft ll adapted The side plate I: has welded or otherwise secured thereto a bearing wheel I which immediately contacts with a set of the rollers l as showninFiguresland'i. Thesaidbearingao wheel Il may be reinforced byfthe webs rand within it is positioned a centrally apertured annular plate II. The units to be coated may be inserted into the drum through the aperture of the said plate II. .If demred. a heating device 35 may be positioned within the drum. To this end a standard [I isshown secured to the frame A, the standard having a socket member it: at its top to receive the lower' end' of a bent arm ll extending intothe drum through the aperture 40' of plate I! and carrying at its end an electrical heating element generally indicated at iii. :If desired, the heating element may be disposed exterior of the-rotating drum andsuch an element is shown at it, Figure 3, and including .a hood-like section II: curved to correspond with the curvature of the drum periphery.

An air draft trough is carried'by frame A, the main body of the trough being indicated at 20 and its discharge outlet at 201:. The trough body so is secured to the frame by means of transversely extendingbracketarmsfl (Figures1and2) and to'eachof the opposed side walls of they .troughbodyisboltedacurvedbarn. the curvature conforming with thatof the drum. This u bar is adapted to hold in position, in each case, a preferably yielding air-sealing strip 23 which may immediately contact with one of the plates 6. At each end of the trough body 20 there is secured by a threaded bolt and thumb nut 24 a supporting finger 25 for a sealing strip 26 of rubber or other flexible material, which sealing strip immediately contacts with tthe periphery of the drum, shown more particularly in Figure 6.

In the operation of the apparatus, uncoated gum units or other units to be coated are inserted into the drum through the opening in plate I5, and shaft II is rotated to impart rotation to the drum in the direction of the arrow. During the rotation and/or prior thereto, the coating material, as, for example, a sugar syrup, will be poured upon the units to be coated. The rotation of the drum will carry the body of units upward to generally theposition shown in Figure 6 the units tumbling in such upward movement, and their constant change in position and mutual contact efiecting a uniform distribution of the coating material over their surfaces. During the tumbling movement of the units air will be drawn.

tumbling body to the trough and thence via itsdischarge end to a suitable collecting medium for preservation of the valuable volatile constituents and solids. The vanes insure that streams of air drawn through the tumbling body will comprise the entire air-stream-creating-force of the suction device. The construction and arrangement of the elements comprising the device insure that there are no ineffective air by-passes. There is no waste because the suction is so controlled by the vanes and trough as to be applied only to the tumbling body of units undergoing coating. It will be understood that deposits of solids will accumulate upon interior surfacesof the drum. In order to provide a ready and convenient means for collecting said deposits the innerside faces of the drum' have removably secured thereto a series of wedge-like plates. Those for end plate 5 comprise the segments 21 each formed near its top with key slots 28. for coaction with headed studs 29 carried by end plate 5 and each segment plate 21 near its pointed end may be slotted at 30 to receive a threaded stud such as 3|, Figure 7. After a stud is inserted in the slot 30 of an appropriate plate a wing nut 32 may be applied. In removing these plates, the wing nuts will be removed and the plates successively moved inwardly so as to clear the edges of adjacent plates, this being possible because the headed studs will be so formed as to permit such movement. Each plate will then be moved toward the axis of the drum until the round key section of the slot registers .with the headed stud, permitting removal of the plate.

The plates 21:1: at the opposite side of the drum will each be formed with key slots 28:: and straight slots 30:: to receive detachable fastening elements similar to those applied to the removable plates 21, as will be understood without further explanation.

In the description of the operation set forth above, it has been considered that the screen will contain gum units to be coated with a sugar pass through the vanes and screen and thence' through the tumbling body, without any necessity for change in arrangement of the elements shown in the drawings. It will also be obvious that the trough 20 may be positioned above the tumbling body and therefore somewhat increased in area so that the vanes below the tumbling body will be exposed and the remaining vanes covered by the trough and sealed by a suitable instrumentality such as the sealing strips 26. When the trough is in superposed position relatively to the screen it may act as a suction device or as the discharge member for an expelled forced draft of air or gas capable of extra absorption.

In the coating of gum units of the character desired for chewing gum, the heating, devices should be so designed and operated as not to raise the temperature of the tumbling material beyond a predetermined maximum. To this end the heating device or devices may be operated intermittently or continuously in accordance with the specific conditions to be met. Likewise, the air draft whether by suctionor blast may be continuously or intermittently effected. When the coating is of laminated material, each coating may require specific control of the heating or air application in accordance with the characteristics of the specific coating material.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

asfollows:

1. A drying and coating apparatus comprising a rotary casing having side plates and a cylindrical screen forming with said plates a chamber for the reception of a tumbling material, a plurality of peripherally extending vanes carried by the casing and leading outwardly from said screen, means for rotating the casing with the screen and vane structure held thereby, and an air trough having effective communication with a plurality of said vanes at their outer ends during said rotation.

2. A drying and coating apparatus comprising opposed verticalplates, one of the plates having an axial aperture, bearing wheels carried by the plates, bearing rollers upon which the wheels rest, a plurality of peripheral radial vanes carried by the structure, a cylindrical screen disposed axially of the vanes and in contact'therewith, a shaft secured to one of the plates, means for rotating the shaft, and means for effecting a forced draft of air, said means having effective communication with a plurality of said vanes at their outer ends during said rotation.

3. A device constructed in accordance with claim 2, in which the forced draft means comprises a trough-like member, and yielding sealing means carried by the trough-like member ture, a plurality of spaced wedge-shaped vanes disposed peripherally of the plates, means coverthe vanes, a cylindrical screen disposed inwardly of the vanes, a fixed air draft device having effective communication with a plurality of said vanes at their outer ends, and means for rotating the structure comprising said plates, screen, vanes and covering means.

5. A device constructed in accordance with l0 claim 4, in combination with a plurality of .de-

tachable facing plates for said vertically disposed plates of the apparatus.

6. An apparatus constructed in accordance with claim 4, in combination withelectrical heating means supported in fixed relation to the rotating structure and supported opposite the air draft device.

r EDWARD E. EKERT. GERALD R. RICHARDS. 

